Back on the 19th, 20th and 21st of January 2024 I completed my 3rd 4x4x48
The wind was whipping, rain accompanied the night & my 3rd 4x4x48 challenge was the best yet
4 miles, every 4 hours for 48 hours, with an additional 20 minutes of CPR Compressions following each round. On this kick off, I was almost half way through my monthly challenge of carrying the same 14kg weight bag 5 miles a day, as part of the fundraiser. Oh how easy it would have been without it!
This year, not having to do burpees, press ups, curls, squats and more paid off, as my body didn’t break down as quickly as before. My feet stayed reasonably healthy for 36 hours, however I had deep blisters on the outside of my heel that would take weeks to heal that I’d never experienced before. I put these down to the additional weight compressing with each step, becoming increasingly significant as fatigue started to keep my feet lower on the ground and other blisters lead to compensation to reduce their growth and pain.
The hardest part was the compressions, 20 minutes at 120BPM lead to huge arm pump in my forearms, which, I will admit, I reduced to 100BPM for the future 11 rounds, to give me a chance of making it through unscathed.
I was fortunate to have my CFR Co-ordinator join me for the final 8 miles, when walking…. hobbling, was the best I could do and my CETO / Community Engagement Training Officer for the final 4, when all support was greatly appreciated.
Some stats to make sense of what went down;
48 miles covered, a mixture of running, walking and at times hobbling
14kg weight carried for every step – to simulate a response pack
Over 25,000+ compressions based on the 4 hours of continuous compressions
12 rounds of movement & 12 broadcasts
Furtherest location who joined in a session – New Zealand
Estimated 3 1/2 hours slept during the 48 hours of the challenge
Best yet, we’ve reached the £500 target for @scasambulancecharity with many days left of the overall challenge – you lot are epic. There’s still time to donate or share with a friend, colleague or anyone you think may be interested in what Community First Responders do or want to support us
Thank you to everyone who said hello, joined in, shared with a friend, donated & made it special
If you’d like to donate to South Central Ambulance Charity who fund the training, uniform and equipment of Community First Responders in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Hampshire, my just giving link can be found here – https://www.justgiving.com/page/james-mackeddie-sca-charity-walkand4x4x48-2024
This is not a paid or sponsored post
James Mackeddie 